Fountain of duplicity keeps flowing

The fountain of questionable activities engaged in by the administration just keeps pouring forth with a seemingly unending flow.

The latest outrage is the arrogant performance of an IRS director responsible for overseeing the tax-exempt organizations division. Lois Lerner, the director of the division responsible for reviewing applications from organizations seeking a tax-exempt status, thumbed her nose at the House Oversight Committee and, by extension, the American people.

The very people who sent in their hard earned, confiscatory tax payments to pay her hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, including bonuses for "good work." Good work included holding up the applications of hundreds of conservative organizations for extended periods of time and requiring them to answer outrageous questionnaires.

It is the same Ms. Lerner who answered a planted question at a press briefing where she admitted to the mishandling of the applications. She brazenly protested her innocence, stating she had done nothing wrong, but then refused to answer any question that the committee members might ask her.

This is particularly troubling from a few viewpoints as the IRS is the most feared agency of the federal government.

For the government to use its awesome power to deny the lawful requests of organizations and, in addition, to ask the most intrusive and intimidating questions smacks at totalitarian-government actions acting completely outside the constitutionally mandated checks and balances.

Remember the admonition of Jefferson "that when the government fears the people, there is liberty, but when the people fear the government, there is tyranny." We are experiencing the latter with the revelations about the IRS and the actions of the government relating to the AP and Fox reporter James Rosen, who the AG cited as a flight risk and co-conspirator in a "leaks" investigation.

However, there was no such action when The New York Times printed leaks and other leaks, attributed to inside the White House, which made the president look good. This is a very selective use of government power that should be disturbing to all Americans, regardless of party affiliation. Back to Ms. Lerner, who has now been placed on administrative leave with full pay.

In my opinion, she should be terminated because she has violated the public trust and the standards required of public employees. The House committee should call her back to testify and let her proclaim before the American people her refusal to answer questions over and over again and in that way convince the public she has done no wrong.

This administration has failed miserably to live up to the standards the president himself stated that his would be the most transparent administration ever - the problem is he didn't mean it!